The effect of barrier layer composition and structure on the crystallization of PZT coatings on silicon

Dunbar P. Birnie, III,  M. H. Jilavi, T. Krajewski, and R. Nass
Source: J. Sol-Gel Sci. and Techn. 13, 855-859 (1998)
 
Abstract: Recent studies to improve the crystallization of PZT on silicon by using a very thin intermediate barrier layer are presented. Barrier layer compositions which displayed beneficial effects included: SrTiO3, BaTiO3, BaZrO3, LaAlO3 and NdAlO3. X-ray diffraction was performed to monitor the phase transformation using barrier layers. High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) was used to characterize the sample with the SrTiO3 interlayer. Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) was applied for microchemical analysis and the lead distribution through the film depth was determined with a step-scanning method. Seeding layers which were nanocrystalline and dense were best at promoting PZT microstructure development because of increasing nucleation as well as reducing interdiffusion.